Investigating Students’ Performance and Perception of Paraphrasing Techniques at Governmental and Private Sudanese Universities

Abstract

This study aimed at comparing Sudanese students of English as a foreign language(EFL)at governmental and private universities in performance and perception of paraphrasing techniques in order to see whether their performance is confined to their perception or not and if there are any differences between the two groups in their perception. The sample of the study has been chosen randomly from governmental and private universities in order to collect the necessary data. One hundred students did a paraphrasing test and completed a questionnaire. The researcher used descriptive analytical method by means of comparison and One-Way ANOVA.The results obtained revealed a mismatch between the participants’ performance and perceptions. In addition, there is no significant difference between the groups in terms of perception. This study recommends adding sufficient research-related courses incorporating paraphrasing techniques to the curriculum, making explicit awareness of the importance of paraphrasing, and providing training and practice in paraphrasing techniques.